The post was founded in 1663…. One of the stipulations in Lucas’ will was that the holder of the professorship should not be active in the church.

I know Gene Expression doesn’t usually join in the atheist/secular cheerleading of other ScienceBlogs sites, but wow. Just, wow. 1663. Four centuries later, and such a stipulation would be considered controversial. Bravo for Henry Lucas.

I think when you read the horror stories of what was going on around Newton’s time vis a vis religion and the academy you can understand that worry. I suspect the setting of the civil war really allowed things like that to develop. I think Americans who take freedom of religion for granted miss how religion developed in most of Europe. Every time I read the histories I’m shocked.

It does make one wonder if there have been any who hid their religious beliefs much like Newton did, albeit for quite different reasons. Of course one could easily be religious with out being active in the Church. (Which I suspect in practice meant Anglicanism, although perhaps it also meant Catholicism although Catholics would have already had persecution through a lot of British history)